California Missions and their Saints
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to colonize the Pacific Coast region, and gave Spain a valuable toehold in the frontier land. The settlers introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, cattle, horses and ranching into the California region; however, the Spanish occupation of California also brought with it serious negative consequences to the Native American populations with whom the missionaries came in contact. The government of Mexico shut down the missions in the 1830s. In the end, the mission had mixed results in its objective to convert, educate, and "civilize" the indigenous population and transforming the natives into Spanish colonial citizens. Today, the missions are among the state's oldest structures and the most-visited historic monuments. There are 21 missions.
| Spanish Name | English Name |
|---|---|
| La Purísima de Concepcíon | The Immaculate Conception |
| Nuestra Señora de Soledad | Our Lady of Solitude |
| San Antonio de Padua | St. Anthony of Padua |
| San Buenaventura San Buenaventura | St. Bonaventure |
| San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo | St. Charles Borromeo (of Carmel) |
| San Diego de Alcalá | St. Didacus of Alcala |
| San Fernando Rey de España | St. Ferdinand, King of Spain |
| San Francisco de Asís | St. Francis of Assisi |
| San Francisco Solano | St. Francis Solano |
| San Gabriel Arcángel | The Archangel Gabriel |
| San José de Guadalupe | St. Joseph |
| San Juan Bautista | St. John the Baptist |
| San Juan Capistrano | St. John of Capistrano |
| San Luis Obispo de Tolosa | St. Louis, Bishop of Toulose |
| San Luis Rey de Francia | St. Louis, King of France |
| San Miguel Arcángel | The Archangel Michael |
| San Rafael Arcángel | The Archangel Raphael |
| Santa Barbara | St. Barbara |
| Santa Clara de Asís | St. Claire of Assisi |
| Santa Cruz | Holy Cross |
| Santa Inés | St. Agnes |
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St. Bernardine of Siena
In the year 1400, a young man came to the door of the largest hospital in Siena. A plague was raging through the city so horrible that as many as twenty people died each day just in the hospital alone. And many of the people who died were those who were needed to tend the ill. It was a desperate situation -- more and more people were falling ill and fewer and ... continue reading
St. Juan Diego
Juan Diego was born in 1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 kilometers (14 miles) north of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk fifteen miles to daily ... continue reading
Popular Saints
St. Lucy
Lucy's name means "light", with the same root as "lucid" which means "clear, radiant, understandable." Unfortunately for us, Lucy's history does not match her name. Shrouded in the darkness of time, all we really know for certain is that this brave woman who lived in Syracuse lost her life in the persecution of Christians in the ... continue reading
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St. Gabriel, the Archangel
The name Gabriel means "man of God," or "God has shown himself mighty." It appears first in the prophesies of Daniel in the Old Testament. The angel announced to Daniel the prophecy of the seventy weeks. His name also occurs in the apocryphal book of Henoch. He was the angel who appeared to Zachariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptizer. Finally, he ... continue reading
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